Although the East standings remain intact, devoid of a significant facelift from seasons past, the 2013 NBA All-Star reserves list serves as an indication of change within the conference.

The teams at the top of the East remain the same for now, but the players have changed.

Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are names commonly found in All-Star space. But dig down into the reserves and you’ll find their teammate Chris Bosh and second-timer Luol Deng are the only remaining players from last season’s list of bench players.

From there, five first-time All-Stars fill in the blanks in the East. The Houston Rockets' James Harden is a first-time All-Star in the Western Conference, but the rest of the field is made up of big names.

Deron Williams, Roy Hibbert, Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce all missed this year’s game. Andre Iguodala was traded from the Sixers to the Denver Nuggets. Williams, who was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2011, admitted he hasn’t played All-Star basketball this year. The rest of the pack has taken a similar step backward.

The decline of several important players left the door open for new talent. With the exception of Chandler, who finally made the game in his 12th year, no first-time All-Star has more than five years in the league.

Irving, Holiday and George were born in the ‘90s and have been in the NBA for four years or fewer. Noah is in his fifth season, while teammate and Deng is in his eighth year.

Just as players who consistently provided stellar play have begun to tail off, these young stars have started to find their way toward consistency.

Irving, 20, has the best numbers of any reserve in the Eastern Conference, averaging 23.7 points and 5.7 assists in his second season for the Cavaliers. Harden has managed to play just as well during his first year in Houston, putting up 25.8 points, 5.4 assist and 4.5 rebounds.

Irving and Holiday have carried struggling teams as the youngest players. Irving’s Cavaliers are 11-32 and Holiday has led the Sixers to a 17-25 mark.

Despite their records, they’ve each shown the ability to lead teams at an early age. Holiday, at 22 years old, has averaged 19.0 points, 9.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds from the point guard position with little to complement him. Irving played with even less.

George’s position differs from his peers. He is a young athlete on the NBA’s best defensive team, and has helped the Indiana Pacers move into the fifth spot in the East.

George’s contribution to the Pacers’ 26-17 effort currently sits at 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds. Those numbers could be deceiving, however. In the month of January, George built his All-Star moment with averages 19.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals.

George recently said he hopes to remain at his currently level of play. He’s struggled with consistency in the past, and he knows it. At least he isn’t the only one.